Americans are apparently going through a tough time: in Gallup’s annual international happiness survey, the United States dropped from the 15th happiest nation in the world in 2023, to the 23rd happiest in 2024.
These results come as Americans seem to be dealing with more unpleasant emotions, across the board: feeling more stressed, less safe, and less financially stable. That being said, Americans can change their lives for the better – if they’re able to change their city.
The consumer finance website WalletHub ranked more than 180 American cities based on happiness in three categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. Those scores were based on the cities’ performance across 29 metrics, including depression rates, job satisfaction, and weather.
“Money can buy happiness to a certain degree because a stable income is essential for a person’s physical and mental wellbeing. However, plenty of other factors affect happiness as well,” said WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe, in a statement. “The happiest cities combine economic security with kind communities and conditions that are conducive to low depression rates and high life satisfaction.”
WalletHub pulled data from several sources including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index.
Continue reading to learn more about the 10 happiest cities in America.
